How popular is the baby name Chael in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Chael.

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Popularity of the baby name Chael


Posts that mention the name Chael

What popularized the baby name Arianny in the early 2010s?

UFC "Ring Girl" Arianny Celeste
Arianny Celeste

The name Arianny, which started popping up in the U.S. baby name data in the 1990s, began rising in usage around 2008 and peaked in 2013:

  • 2014: 126 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2013: 158 baby girls named Arianny [peak]
  • 2012: 147 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2011: 149 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2010: 120 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2009: 55 baby girls named Arianny
Graph of the usage of the baby name Arianny in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Arianny

Why?

I’d say the most direct influence was model and “octagon girl” Arianny (pronounced ahr-ee-AH-nee) Celeste, who was born (as Penelope López Márquez) in Las Vegas in 1985.

She started working as a ring girl with the mixed martial arts promotion company UFC in 2006, and she was declared “Ringcard Girl of the Year” four times in a row (2008-2011) by the World MMA Awards. (She has since won the award two more times, in 2014 and 2015.)

That said…the prevailing trendiness of names like Arianna and Ariana must have made the name Arianny sound particularly appealing to expectant parents around that time. (Interesting fact: Both of those names saw peak usage the year after Ariana Grande released her 2013 debut album, then immediately started slipping.)

What are your thoughts on the name Arianny?

Sources: Arianny Celeste – Wikipedia, SSA

P.S. Another UFC-related name, Chael, peaked the very same year…

What popularized the baby name Chael in the early 2010s?

MMA fighter Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen

The interesting name Chael, after first appearing in the U.S. baby name data in the early 2000s, rose to peak usage in 2013:

  • 2015: 35 baby boys named Chael
  • 2014: 60 baby boys named Chael
  • 2013: 96 baby boys named Chael [peak]
  • 2012: 61 baby boys named Chael
  • 2011: 34 baby boys named Chael

What was the influence?

Mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen (pronounced CHAYL SUN-en; first name similar to “jail”), whose career lasted from the late 1990s to the late 2010s.

He was most famous during the early 2010s, when he was a top contender in two different UFC weight classes. Also during that time period, he cemented his reputation as one of MMA’s best trash-talkers.

Sonnen’s initial fight with Anderson Silva* for the UFC Middleweight Championship in August of 2010 was voted Fight of the Year at the annual World MMA awards. Ahead of their highly anticipated re-match in July of 2012, a Bleacher Report writer said:

Chael Sonnen is a name that seems to be on the tip of every MMA fans’ tongues these days. Whether you’re online or watching UFC televised programming, Sonnen’s name and face are everywhere.

(Later the same year, a poster at the MMA Underground forum asked, rather presciently: “Will Chael be the hot new boys name for 2013?“)

In April of 2013, Sonnen lost his third and final title bout, this time against Jon Jones in the Light Heavyweight division. But he did win MMA Personality of the Year in 2013 — ousting the usual recipient, Joe Rogan.

So how did Sonnen, who was born in Oregon in 1977, get the first name Chael? Here’s what he said during a Reddit AMA a few years ago:

My Mom took the name “Michael” and removed the “Mi”.

She also altered the pronunciation, of course.

What are your thoughts on the name Chael?

Sources:

*Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva are both from Brazil, but they’re not related.